Carlson Honored with Regents Fellow Service Award

(l to r): Phil Adams, chairman of The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents; Kim Carlson (Paul’s wife); Paul Carlson; Cliff Thomas; vice chairman of the Board of Regents.

Paul Carlson, Ph.D., P.E., research engineer and head of the Operations and Design Division at TTI, has been presented with the Regents Fellow Service Award from the Texas A&M System Board of Regents.

The award honors professionals in the eight A&M System agriculture and engineering agencies and is presented annually “to recognize and honor service, extension and research professionals who have provided exemplary professional service to society that has created large and lasting benefits to Texas and beyond.”

This year, Carlson was one of seven to receive the award. The award criteria include, but are not limited to “distinguished record of research and/or service accomplishments to the people of Texas, [demonstration of] a sincere commitment to their respective agency within the A&M System, and creative ability and adherence to scientific philosophy and scholarly principles, exceptional contributions to knowledge base and/or development of scholarly principles that have resulted in published research, inventions, processes or methods that are everlasting contributions to science and humankind.”

Carlson said he is humbled by the award and that his time at TTI is what led to his receiving it.

“It is not hard to look across campus and find smarter researchers and better communicators,” Carlson said. “I didn’t know it at the time, but when I joined TTI in 1995, I was making one of the best career decisions I could possibly imagine. TTI provides a unique environment that supports and encourages innovation and collaboration in an entrepreneurial setting. You are free to make the most of it and set your own bar—and so are your colleagues, which always provide new motivation and new challenges.”

Carlson leads the Visibility Research Laboratory at TTI, where he tests new retroreflectivity materials for traffic signs and pavement markings to create a safer environment for people driving at night. Carlson said while the research is breaking new ground, the researchers aren’t finished yet.

“There is always more to do, more to learn, and more to share,” Carlson said. “Much of being recognized as an expert is the team contributions back at the office.”